GREEN BAY, Wis. - There was at least a little bit of a bright side to Lecitus Smith being out of the league for the past two-and-a-half months.
"Spending a lot of time with my fiancée," Smith said at Green Bay Packers training camp on Tuesday after re-signing with the team. "I had the free time to do so, so aside from training, spending a lot of time with her, going on walks, doing different things like doing classes to help me stay flexible - a lot of yoga, pilates, things like that in my free time. So, I've been staying active in those type of ways."
The quality time was great, but Smith and his fiancee, Heaven, rejoiced when he got the news that he was returning to the Packers.
"Oh, I was excited, for sure, for sure," Smith said. "Me and my fiancée jumping up around the house. I promise, we were. It's good to be back in Green Bay, it really is."
Smith was a sixth-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2022. He played in 10 games with two starts as a rookie but was released at the end of training camp in 2023.
After spending the second half of the season on the practice squads of the Texans and Eagles, he was invited to the Packers' rookie camp following the 2024 draft. He did enough to sign a contract, and he did enough at training camp to earn a spot on the practice squad. At midseason, he signed to the Patriots' 53-man roster and played in eight games. He started once as an extra lineman.
Smith was released by the Patriots before this year's draft and released again by the Steelers during OTAs.
After that, all Smith could do was wait and work. As days turned into weeks, and with NFL training camps having started about two weeks ago, was it hard to keep grinding with no guarantee he'd ever get another shot?
"Oh no, no, no, no," Smith said. "It's not hard to keep going because we've been playing this game since 8 years old and this is what you've been doing for many, many years of your life. The alternative to that is like, 'Oh, wow, what's next?' So, you don't stop grinding. You just keep praying for a call. Keep grinding, keep praying for a call. It's all you can do but the grind don't stop."
The grind of training camp has taken a toll on the offensive line. Starting left tackle Rasheed Walker is sidelined by a groin injury. Rookie seventh-round pick John Williams hasn't practiced due to a back injury. Travis Glover, a second-year player, has missed the last few days with a shoulder injury.
With Green Bay's 16-strong group of linemen down to 13 - not enough for three complete units - the Packers brought back Smith, whose experience with the Packers should help him contribute right away, with a busy week of practice capped by the preseason opener against the Jets on Saturday night.
"It has been a minute" since he was in Green Bay, he said. "What's cool is being out there and just watching the guys go to ones and twos and then asking other guys questions. Or 'Coach, what call do we make on this play versus this front?' and different things like that. Or hearing it and being like, 'OK, I remember that.' Or maybe getting the play and it's going one way and I'm able to call out the opposite way. You get what I'm saying? So, it's coming back to me slowly but surely, but I'm going to be in that book day and night, because I already know I'm steps behind."
Smith's got about three weeks to prove he belongs. He had a solid preseason last year, when he played 79 snaps at left guard, 41 snaps at center and three snaps at right guard in three games. With nobody really having taken hold of the final backup spots on the depth chart, he has a great opportunity.
"I want to show that I can be a consistent, good football player for this team," he said. "I think that's what they want to see out of me. They want to see a guy that can play multiple spots - both guard spots, center, of course - and be able to do it consistently. Not high one day and low the next or no drop-off. Just being a consistent, good football player. I get to that point and I'm consistent with that, I think I'll be happy with myself."